More than the law upholds animal welfare - New laws with tougher penalties may be needed, and they cannot in any way be seen as a solution for this problem. What seems to happening is that an increased number of people may be losing touch with that vital ethic of kindness to animals.

TRAGEDY: Fifty-five whales beached themselves at Kommetjie on Saturday. Officials said more were still coming ashore.

VOLUNTEERS who had spent hours trying to rescue 55 false killer whales that stranded themselves at Long Beach, Kommetjie, in Cape Town wept hysterically when officials decided to shoot the animals on Saturday afternoon.“We euthanised 42 and another two were euthanised during the night,” said Mike Meyer, a marine and coastal management scientist.Meyer said government officials and animal welfare groups held an emergency meeting after many of the animals that had been eased back into the water turned around and stranded themselves lower down the beach.Meyer blamed adverse weather, big swells and a strong rip tide for the rescue operation’s failure.Fifty-five of the false killer whales began beaching at around 7.30am on Saturday.The misnamed animals are actually the largest members of the dolphin family . Most pods are led by a big female and they will follow her if she swims ashore.The beach was chaotic yesterday as Metro Police and others tried to prevent people witnessing the slaughter as Meyer walked from one animal to the next to put a bullet in its head. The sea ran red with blood as citizens wept hysterically.Officials manhandled journalists trying to photograph the killings.Meyer said the stranded animals did not stand much chance of surviving their ordeal, even if freed. He said that marine and coastal management would have to develop a protocol to deal with future mass strandings.About 10 to 13 of the pod are believed to have escaped.Many dolphins and whales strand themselves. No one knows why but researchers believe that naval sonar can drive them ashore.

Compassionate Action for Animals —Compassionate Action for Animals works to reduce the suffering of farmed animals through outreach and education such as distributing leaflets, cable access shows, vegan food giveaways, and speakers.

Lonesome George

Every now and then George closes his eyes for a few centuries the stars stop for the occasion and the sun goes out, his night lit only by dream...

"Hello, big boy," she says, shell new and lustrous, green as the deep sea; and her eyes deep as the dark gems that glow deep where it roots...

George, lifting his nose skyward still seeing her behind his closed eyes moves forwardslow as lava oozing from the bottom of the sea

His scaled feet arch like trees first planted then pulled up from their roots...

"I'm coming," he says.

Written by, Steve Campbell

"Lonesome George" is the name given by biologists to the last surviving male Giant Galapagos Tortoise. There are no surviving females.

The entire Giant Galapagos Tortoise species was destroyed directly by humans. The tortoise's shells were used to make tourist trinkets. The shell is part of the tortoise's body (like turtles). Without their shell, they die much like a human having their skin removed (I imagine, equally as painful).

The animal was usually still alive when it's 'soft' body was cruelly cut out from it's shell. In countries like China, and the Island of Bali, this brutal and unethical practice of live tortoise/turtle slaughter continues.

George is approximately 90 years old. In 2008, great efforts were made to help George produce offspring by fertilizing eggs of a 'close' relative species. Sadly, the experiment failed.

George is the rarest known creature in the world and... the loneliest.